The Nubia Flip 5G has been launched globally and is the cheapest foldable phone we’ve yet seen – however, UK and European details are strangely absent.
The Flip 5G was announced at
MWC 2024in February and was initially released in Japan on February 29 as the ZTE Libero Flip. It’s now launched at the price of 2,999 Yuan in China followed by its global release and US price of $499, which is roughly £400 / AU$764 for the 8GB/256 model.
At that price, the Nubia Flip undercuts the
Motorola Razr 40, which was previously the cheapest foldable phone on sale in Western markets at £599 / $699 / AU$1,146.
However, despite the exact UK and EU price and launch date not being listed on
Nubia’s website, when asked directly Nubia confirmed the Nubia Flip 5G will launch at the end of April 2024.
The Flip 5G is currently available for pre-order and will be going on sale on 24 April in the following countries: Australia, Chile, Egypt, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Israel, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United States, and Vietnam.
Nubia Flip specifications
The outer screen is a 1.43-inch OLED with a resolution of 466 x 466 pixels. The screen can be used to display a calendar, a stopwatch, control media playback, show weather, and use as a camera viewfinder.
The Nubia Flip runs on the
Snapdragon 7 Gen 1chipset, which is an older mid-range chip from 2022. Despite its age, the chip still uses the more efficient 4-nanometer process, and features Qualcomm’s AI Engine, so it should handle day-to-day tasks and light gaming fairly well.
The Japanese model includes 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, while the Chinese version has 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage. There are also two higher-specced versions available in China: 12GB RAM paired with either 256GB or 512GB storage.
The battery is a 4310mAh unit that’s capable of 33W fast charging – that’s significantly larger than the more expensive Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s 3700mAh battery.
It also features a 50MP wide-angle camera, a 50MP telephoto camera with a 2MP depth sensor, and a 16MP front-facing camera, which, according to Nubia, uses AI-enhanced image processing to improve image quality. On paper, this is more impressive than the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s lower two 12MP cameras, but image quality isn’t only about megapixels.
Nubia claims the Flip can withstand over 200,000 unfolds, which is the same rating as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5.
We can't properly compare the Nubia Flip 5G to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 or Motorola Razr 40, or to any of the other best foldable phones, until we've tested it firsthand, However, the Nubia Flip seems like a promising, more affordable entry into in the foldable phone space.
You may also like
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 specs predictions: all the key specs we expect
- Want a phone with a headphone jack? Nubia Music Phone has two, plus a huge speaker
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 may not get the camera upgrade it badly needs
Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox
Get the hottest deals available in your inbox plus news, reviews, opinion, analysis, deals and more from the TechRadar team.
James Ide
Staff Writer, Mobile Computing
James Ide is a writer for TechRadar specializing in phones and tablets, having previously worked at The Daily Mirror since 2016, covering news and reviews.
James loves messing with the latest tech, especially phones due to their incredibly rapid pace of development.
When not surrounded by various devices and/or tinkering with gadgets while putting them through their paces, James has a love of handheld consoles.
He is almost the textbook definition of a geek, who loves sci-fi, comics, games and of course, all things tech. If you think you have a story for him or just want to challenge him at Smash Bros, get in touch.
More about phones
Latest
